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Reviewed by David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726 · iQRATE Mortgages · Last updated: October 13, 2026
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A Houston mortgage broker compares many lenders to price your FHA, conventional, jumbo or investor loan. iQRATE Mortgages (NMLS 1862492) is licensed in Texas and shops more than 100 lenders on complex files. Harris County's 2026 limits are $832,750 conforming and $541,287 FHA. Texas has no transfer tax, but Houston's combined property tax rate is about 2.53% inside Houston ISD (2025), and many suburbs add MUD taxes. Flood risk shapes insurance and escrow, and the metro's median listing price was about $354,000 in September 2026. Full-doc loans close in about 17 days.
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5.0 stars from 87 reviews on Experience.com (October 2026) · Read David's reviews on Experience.com
Houston buyers include energy-sector engineers with bonus-heavy pay, Texas Medical Center staff, port and petrochemical workers, and investors attracted by prices well below the coasts. Houston has no zoning, so deed restrictions and HOAs do that job, and since Hurricane Harvey in 2017, flood history is part of every purchase. We price the loan and the full payment, including taxes, MUD and flood coverage.
Part of our Texas mortgage broker coverage. We're licensed in Texas under company NMLS 1862492 and work Houston files from our Las Vegas office, closing with local escrow and title.
Neighborhoods and ZIPs we lend in: the Heights (77008, 77009), Montrose (77006), Garden Oaks and Oak Forest (77018), Meyerland (77096), Spring Branch (77055, 77080), EaDo and Third Ward (77003, 77004), Clear Lake (77058, 77062), and Kingwood (77339, 77345).
Texas basics that apply here: Texas has no transfer tax and no state income tax, and title insurance premiums are set by the Texas Department of Insurance. Property taxes are high and billed each October and paid in arrears, so lenders usually collect about 2–6 months of taxes into escrow at closing, depending on the closing month; the seller's prorated tax credit for the months they owned the home offsets part of that. Owner-occupants get the homestead exemption and a 10% cap on yearly appraisal increases after the first year. A cash-out loan on a homestead is limited to 80% of value under Section 50(a)(6). Statewide down payment help includes TSAHC (Homes for Texas Heroes, Home Sweet Texas) and TDHCA (My First Texas Home).
Closing costs are what it costs you to get the loan: origination, discount points, appraisal, and escrow and title. Cash to close also includes your prepaids (first-year homeowners insurance, daily interest to month-end, and an escrow deposit for your own future property taxes and insurance) plus your down payment. Prepaids aren't a cost of the loan; they're your own bills paid ahead. In Houston, property-tax escrow (often 2–6 months, partly offset by the seller's prorated tax credit) and the first year of homeowners insurance are the main prepaids, and in many Houston neighborhoods flood insurance is added on top. Your actual closing costs depend on county, price and loan type, so we don't quote a one-size range: every line is itemized on your Loan Estimate, and our Bare Bones guarantee means we add no fees of our own. Compare states on our closing costs by state page.
Harris County: conforming $832,750 and FHA $541,287 for a one-unit home. Above $832,750 you need a jumbo loan, common in River Oaks, West University and Memorial.
Conventional (as little as 3% down for eligible first-time buyers), FHA (3.5% down, 580+ score), VA (no down payment for eligible veterans with full entitlement), jumbo above the conforming limit, DSCR loans that qualify on rent, bank statement loans for self-employed borrowers, asset-based and 1099 loans, and rate-and-term or cash-out refinances. As a broker we compare wholesale lenders, more than 100 on complex files, instead of one bank's menu.
Terms for each are on its own page; see all iQRATE guarantees.
No. Texas has no real estate transfer tax or deed stamps.
About $2.53 per $100 of value in 2025 inside the City of Houston and Houston ISD, before exemptions. MUDs in suburban neighborhoods can add more.
A Municipal Utility District, which funds water, sewer and drainage in many suburban neighborhoods through its own property tax. Lenders count it in your payment.
It's required in FEMA high-risk flood zones and recommended in many other areas. Sellers must disclose flood history, and we price insurance before you lock.
$541,287 for a one-unit home in Harris County. The conforming limit is $832,750.
Yes. Since 2025, Houston requires an annual certificate of registration for every short-term rental in city limits.
Usually, with a two-year history of receiving them. Lenders average bonus income.
Closing costs depend on the price, loan type and county, so yours are itemized on your Loan Estimate rather than quoted as a range. Closing costs are what it costs to get the loan (origination, points, appraisal, escrow and title). Cash to close also includes prepaids and your down payment; in Houston, property-tax escrow (often 2–6 months, partly offset by the seller's prorated tax credit) and the first year of homeowners insurance are the main prepaids, and in many Houston neighborhoods flood insurance is added on top.
Most of our loans close in under 30 days. For eligible full-documentation conventional, FHA and VA purchases, our goal is 17 calendar days from signing initial disclosures.
Get My Custom Rate Now · or call (702) 766-3744
iQRATE Mortgages · NMLS 1862492 · 6360 S Rainbow Blvd Ste 101, Las Vegas, NV 89118 · Licensed in Nevada, California, Texas and Florida. David Ghazaryan, Mortgage Broker, NMLS 1486726. Verify us on NMLS Consumer Access. Equal Housing Opportunity. Programs, rates and terms change and are subject to credit, property and underwriting approval; local facts on this page come from the public sources below and are not legal or tax advice.
More: Texas mortgage broker · DSCR loans · Bank statement loans · Our guarantees · Closing costs by state
